Folsom QB star commits to Cal Poly for football

For a football player who shattered state passing and total yardage records this season, who willed his team back to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II title game, the only missing piece to the puzzle was a scholarship.

Now Tanner Trosin has that in hand, too.

The Folsom High senior standout quarterback gave Cal Poly a verbal commitment to play for the Mustangs in the Big Sky Conference earlier this month. He said he was was wowed by his visit to Cal Poly and gave a commitment to Cal Poly coaches before heading back to Folsom with his parents, Tony and Evan.

“I really like it there and can’t wait to get started,” said Trosin, The Sacramento Bee’s 2011 Offensive Player of the Year. “I’m excited about this.”

Trosin isn’t the only player from Northern California who committed to Cal Poly recently. Elk Grove linebacker/tight end Josh Letuligasenoa, a captain for the 12-1 Thundering Herd, will join older brother Lefi, a former Sacramento Bee Athlete of the Year, on the Mustangs roster, along with Del Campo’s Norman Sadler, an All-Capital Valley Conference defensive back. Both announced their decisions this week.

Trosin seems to be an ideal fit for a Cal Poly program that likes to have versatile passers who can use their legs and arm in forcing teams to back pedal.

What’s more, Cal Poly was the only school to express serious interest, the prevailing thought from other college programs being that the slightly 6-foot-1 and 175-pound Trosin wasn’t sturdy enough to handle the rigors of the college game. The position has become a big-man’s spot — look at Stanford’s Andrew Luck.

Never mind that at 17, Troisn is still growing, maturing or that his father is 6-foot-3 (Tony is the last quarterback to lead Sacramento State to the playoffs, in 1988, taking over at midseason after a stirring win at Cal Poly).

All told, Trosin is the fourth successive Folsom quarterback to land a scholarship and the third Folsom player to go to Cal Poly in the past year (center Stephen Sippel signed last year and receiver Carson McMurtrey gave a verbal earlier this season).

Folsom’s other scholarship quarterbacks under coach Kris Richardson include: Cary Grossart, Northern Arizona; David Graves, Hawaii; Dano Graves, Air Force.
Trosin’s brother, NorCal record-setting receiver Tyler Trosin of Folsom’s 2010 team, is on scholarship at Oregon State.

Tanner Trosin was a defensive back starter for Folsom’s 2010 CIF Division 2 state championship team and then emerged at quarterback in 2011. Instinctive, tough, tenacious and driven, he obliterated area, then section, then NorCal and finally a bevy of state records.

Tanner Trosin this past fall became the first quarterback to pass for 5,000 yards in a single season, remarkable considering the thousands of players who have aired it out in this state over the decades, finishing with 5,185 yards and 49 touchdowns. He also became the first athlete in state history to amass 6,000 yards in a single season, going for 6,364 and 69 total touchdowns. The 69 touchdowns are second most in state history, behind Dano Graves’ 85 last season.

Some fans — Internet Trolls, in other words — contend that Trosin was a system quarterback. Richardson, the Folsom coach, argues that a great talent makes a system all the more great. Folsom has expertly run the spread offense the last eight or so seasons.

“He’s a great player, the most competitive guy I’ve coached, and he made our system great, so it’s a fit,” Richardson said. “Tanner’s an amazing talent. He played hurt in some games and just willed us to achieve.”

Tribune staff contributed to this report.